New York Giants: Drafting D.K. Metcalf is the only way to forgive trading Odell Beckham

The New York Giants trading Odell Beckham Jr. was an unforgivable move that the Giants will never live down, but drafting D.K. Metcalf would be a step in the right direction.

It happened, it actually happened, the New York Giants traded Odell Beckham Jr, but drafting D.K. Metcalf could cure all wounds.

The rumors were constantly swirling this offseason, but New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman was adamant that Odell Beckham Jr. would be a Giant for years to come.

Yet, here we are, dealing with the most shocking and outrageous trade in New York sports history since the Midnight Massacre in 1977: Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns for a 2019 first-round pick (No. 17 overall), 2019 third-round pick (No. 95 overall) and safety Jabrill Peppers.

Whether we like it or not, what’s done is done, Giants fans. There’s nothing we can do except come to grips with what unfolded and adjust to life without the greatest offensive player to ever wear a uniform for Big Blue. Unfortunately, management isn’t giving us time to do so.

New York already began to institute its “plan” for life after Beckham by signing free agent wideout Golden Tate to a four-year, $37.5 million deal just two days after the trade. Quite frankly, that isn’t going to cut it. Beckham is a generational talent and no wide receiver the Giants sign from here on out will ever fill his shoes.

The only way that the Giants’ front office can begin to reduce the discontent of the fanbase, in this writer’s opinion, anyway, is to draft Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Metcalf’s production at Ole Miss was limited due to injury issues throughout his college career, so not much was known about him heading into the NFL Combine. However, it’s safe to say that everyone knows about the Ole Miss product now thanks to the unreal workout that put him in the conversation for the best wideout in the 2019 draft class.

At 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds, Metcalf ran a blazing 4.33 40-yard dash, put up 27 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press and recorded a 40.5-inch vertical leap. All marks were top-three or better among wideouts who participated in those drills and, surprisingly, better than what OBJ put up during his combine workout.

Metcalf’s biggest red flag, as many scouts and pundits were quick to point out after the combine wrapped up, is that his agility numbers were alarming bad for a player at his position. The 21-year-old recorded a 4.50-second 20-yard shuttle and 7.38-second three-cone drill, the fourth-worst and worst mark among all wide receivers who worked out in Indy. While concerning, Metcalf’s lack of agility shouldn’t translate to an ill-fated career in the NFL. In fact, he has more than enough game tape that proves otherwise.

The Ole Miss product is a physically imposing presence that takes full advantage of the gifts he’s been given, effectively using his strength to dominate the contact window and consistently get separation from defensive backs off the line. More importantly, however, Metcalf has consistently shown that he has more than enough flexibility in his hips to sell his horizontal routes.

Metcalf’s game tape is an encouraging sign that he can be a No. 1 wideout at the next level, but a couple of contemporary comparisons should alleviate any concerns fans may have. Optimum Scouting was quick to point out that Jarvis Landry and Dez Bryant, two of the best receivers of the past decade, put up identical agility numbers to Metcalf’s and have had excellent careers.

Metcalf isn’t in the same stratosphere as OBJ when it comes to pure athleticism, but the Ole Miss product is a physical freak with tremendous No. 1 wide receiver upside. If the Giants want Eli Manning to produce and build toward the future correctly, selecting the Ole Miss product would be a step in the right direction. And maybe, just maybe, doing so would be the first step forward on the fanbase’s long road to forgiveness.